Potato field day emphasizes protecting groundwater supply

July 30, 2010

If you’ve spent any time in Wisconsin’s Central Sands, you know that there is enormous concern about the area’s groundwater — both quality and quantity. That is very much on the minds of people in the state’s potato industry, about 100 of whom gathered on July 27 at the Hancock Agricultural Research Statoin for the 2010 Potato Growers Field Day. The event’s focus was on groundwater protection. Each of the speakers on the roster, including experts from CALS, UW-Extension and the UW-Stevens Point, addressed a different aspect of the topic. Shown here is Matt Ruark, assistant professor in the soil science department, talking about research on techniques designed to keep fertilizer nitrogen from leaching into groundwater.